Falcons Re-Sign Babineaux

Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post cites sources that indicate the Atlanta Falcons are “extremely close” to agreeing on a three-year contract with free agent defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux.

UPDATE: Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Falcons have agreed to terms with Babineaux on a three-year deal. The Falcons have now confirmed it.

Babineaux was originally a second-round pick of the Falcons in 2005 and became a regular starter for the team in the second half of the 2007 season after the release of Grady Jackson. He has not relinquished the job since, logging 108 starts over the course of his nine-year career in Atlanta. He has collected 23.5 sacks during his career, but is coming off a 2013 campaign where he had just one sack and 42 tackles. Babineaux will turn 33 in October.

If re-signed it will mark the third contract that Babineaux has earned with the Falcons. His second contract occurred in November 2008 when his initial rookie contract was on the verge of expiring. If the Falcons are successful in signing Babineaux before today’s 4 p.m. start for the new league year, it will mean that Babineaux will have never tested free agency during his NFL career, a sign of his perceived high value by the Falcons.